Water rent dispute continues in St. Johnsville

Tuesday

Nov 27, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 27, 2007 at 12:27 PM

Over the past six months, sisters Lee Johnson and Diane Robbins have been attending meetings of the St. Johnsville Village Board of Trustees in order to resolve a dispute regarding delinquent water rents left on a house that they bought after it was foreclosed on.

Dana C. Silano

Over the past six months, sisters Lee Johnson and Diane Robbins have been attending meetings of the St. Johnsville Village Board of Trustees in order to resolve a dispute regarding delinquent water rents left on a house that they bought after it was foreclosed on.

Village Attorney Norman Mastromoro said at a regular meeting of the board held Monday that this month progress of a letter being composed between both attorneys is nearly complete, a development that has been part of a long-awaited process according to the owners of the property.

“The letter is mostly agreed upon at this point,” Mastromoro said, addressing questions regarding communication being composed by both attorneys to be sent to the state comptroller’s office.

The property, located at 8 Kingsbury Ave., was purchased in late spring, and, with the suggestion of their lawyer, Gerard Snyder, Johnson and Robbins requested a tax search from the village prior to closing to ensure that all bills were paid on the home.

After requesting the information from the village clerk’s office for a sum of $10, the search brought back nothing.

It was after the house closing that Johnson and Robbins received a delinquent water bill in excess of $500.

After much discussion at meetings July through October, it was seemingly decided that an error in the search had caused the inconvenience.

Now the village and the property owners are in a back and forth discussion of what to do to resolve the issue.

Since the situation occurred, taxes were due, which the women paid on the house, including the delinquent water bill. They have suggested being reimbursed the money, since they paid for a thorough search.

Johnson approached the board Monday night with more questions regarding the situation. “On a personal note,” she said, addressing each board member, “I feel like if it were any one of you, you would feel the same way we do about this situation. On a business note, I don’t understand what is taking so long to complete this letter.”

Mastromoro interjected that he and the property owners’ attorney are busy, and that if they understood the work of an attorney, they would appreciate the length of time the case has undergone. “You have to walk a mile in an attorney’s shoes,” he said, “to appreciate what we do.”

He continued that, rather than continuously approaching the village board at regular meeting each month, Johnson and Robbins should be discussing the matter with their attorney.

“I have been. You blame him and he blames you. I don’t want to fight,” Johnson said as Mastromoro explained that no blame had been put on either lawyer by the other. “It’s been six months. We just want answers.”

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